Honor Your Body
Do you think you've been alone with an ED the entire time? Of course not, your body’s been here for the whole ride; working tirelessly to keep you alive. Although this disorder has been working against it, your body hasn't stopped fighting for its survival. Take a lesson from your body: don’t give up, even if things are working against you.
As you set off on the road to recovery, it’s very important to honor your body. Honor your body for all of the work it’s done to maintain your life. Even before you encountered Anorexia, your body has been doing its job since your birth, so definitely honor it for that.
As you set off on the road to recovery, it’s very important to honor your body. Honor your body for all of the work it’s done to maintain your life. Even before you encountered Anorexia, your body has been doing its job since your birth, so definitely honor it for that.
How to Honor Your Body
Lie down and take a few deep breaths to relax. Express your gratitude and appreciation toward your body by writing about it or speaking to it verbally or through thought. Apologize for any pain you may have inflicted on your body and mind as well. Wrap your arms around yourself to give it a hug. Accept your body as it is right now, because it is not something to be loathed or ashamed of, rather it’s a clear display of your body’s strength because it fought for you, even when you were against it. Make an effort to show appreciation to every body part and every organ, even if they've become ill or damaged, and your body will begin to love you even more.
Our bodies react to our thoughts and actions on a daily basis, so don’t worry if you feel a bit silly (look up the Placebo Effect or the mind and body connection for more information). We unknowingly communicate with our bodies very often! Here are some of my own examples.
Our bodies react to our thoughts and actions on a daily basis, so don’t worry if you feel a bit silly (look up the Placebo Effect or the mind and body connection for more information). We unknowingly communicate with our bodies very often! Here are some of my own examples.
- When we experience bodily pains, it's natural to express our discomfort toward them. But how I see it, if this pain has already existed for as little as a second, it's already apart of the past. So rather than saying "My leg hurts!", for example, I'll say "The pain I had in my leg is gone." or "I'm glad that the pain I had is gone!" The keyword here is had. This tells my body that the pain is no longer there, even if I can still feel it. Afterwards, my body proceeds to gradually get rid of the pain. Yes, the body needs time to eliminate pain and sometimes it needs your help (i.e. natural cures, techniques, medicines).
- Although the body needs time to heal itself, sometimes it can put a stop to things immediately! I'll use my experience with hiccups. I mean, we all know what hiccups are, right? They can be annoying and even cause pain and headaches if you don't get rid of them fast enough. Well, when I'd gotten hiccups a few days ago, of course I thought to myself, "Oh, what remedy should I use this time?", but instead I decided to say, "Body, stop the hiccups please.", and they stopped immediately. I even stood there for a little while, waiting for them to return, and they never did that day.
- After eating a meal, an itchy bump formed on my face. I wasn't having an allergic reaction, so I had no idea where it came from, but I went to the mirror and asked my body to remove it for me. When I went back to my living room to watch T.V., I'd forgotten about the blemish for a few minutes. When I remembered, I went to look in the mirror again and it was gone!
Become Partners With Your Body
Our bodies know themselves very well, even better than a doctor could. I'm not discrediting doctors at all, but your body knows what's going on within it even before a doctor could tell you. I highly suggest becoming partners with your body to fight the enemy: Anorexia. To become partners, it’s a good idea to start talking to your body. Your body actually has a type of consciousness, and it's very aware of our words, thoughts and emotions. Give it positive attention and love, and it will definitely love you back! It’s a known fact that emotions that begin in the mind like stress (frustration, anger, etc) can weaken and sicken the body. So it doesn't surprise me that our bodies function best when we’re happy and love ourselves.
Listening to your body can be very helpful if you run into any health issues during or after your recovery. Your body will show you it's problems through physical signs or it'll even tell you the issue if you take the time to quiet your mind to ask and listen. In order to encourage your body to address health issues, speak to it on a daily basis, ask for it's assistance or even visualize it healing and developing great health. If you're trying to heal an illness or pain, give your body time and don't scold it if you don't feel better immediately! You can even ask your body questions such as "What can I do to make you healthier?", and your body may respond through a passing thought or guide you to certain foods or techniques. If you practice communicating with your body, it will listen to you more and more. But of course, the assistance from a doctor or therapist can also help you figure out what you need too.
Remember not to insult your amazing body! In society, there’s way too much focus on physical appearance and not enough on self-love, health and happiness. Society’s obsessions can drive us to do things in which we ignore the feelings and well-being of our bodies. We have to start putting two and two together: we can’t be happy with ourselves by hating ourselves!
Listening to your body can be very helpful if you run into any health issues during or after your recovery. Your body will show you it's problems through physical signs or it'll even tell you the issue if you take the time to quiet your mind to ask and listen. In order to encourage your body to address health issues, speak to it on a daily basis, ask for it's assistance or even visualize it healing and developing great health. If you're trying to heal an illness or pain, give your body time and don't scold it if you don't feel better immediately! You can even ask your body questions such as "What can I do to make you healthier?", and your body may respond through a passing thought or guide you to certain foods or techniques. If you practice communicating with your body, it will listen to you more and more. But of course, the assistance from a doctor or therapist can also help you figure out what you need too.
Remember not to insult your amazing body! In society, there’s way too much focus on physical appearance and not enough on self-love, health and happiness. Society’s obsessions can drive us to do things in which we ignore the feelings and well-being of our bodies. We have to start putting two and two together: we can’t be happy with ourselves by hating ourselves!
Beautiful. ♥ From The Love Yourself Challenge on Tumblr.